Locking wrench and pliers



July 4, 1950 H. T. JONES LOCKING WRENCH AND PLIERS Filed June 20, 1944 uvvav 70R 'fihROLD 7'; -JONES ,4 rrokwvn Patented July 4, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOCKING WRENCH AND PLIERS &

Harold T. Jones, Vallejo, Calif.

Application June 20, 1944, Serial No. 541.222

Claims. (01. 81-84) This invention relates to wrenches or pliers of the type having besides a pair of plier-like handles, a toggle lever brought into action when gripping a nut or other object so as to greatly multiply the pressure of the gripping jaws.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide improvements over the construction of such a wrench shown in U. S. Patent No. 2,280,005 whereby the toggle lever action is improved.

Speciflc features of the improvement will appear in the following description and accompanying drawings.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a side view of the wrench with the forward sides of the channel shaped handles broken away to reveal the toggle lever action positioned between them'.

Fig. 2 is a cross section of Fig. 1 taken along the line 22 of Fig. I.

Fig. 3 is a detached perspective view of the toggle pivot block.

The general construction of the tool follows the showing of the U. S. patent above mentioned in that it comprises preferably a pair of pipe wrench-like jaws l and 2 transversely pivoted together at 3 and with one of the plier-like handles l extending rigidly from jaw I, while the other handle 5 is transversely pivoted at its inner end as at 6 to a rearward extension I of the other jaw 2.

Both handles are preferably of more or less hollow channel or U-shape in cross section arranged in confronting relation as indicated, and a coiled tension spring 8 hooked at one end as at 9 through an opening near the center of the fixed handle and at its other or forward end to a small apertured lug ill on jaw 2 tends to resiliently pull the jaws open.

Within the confronting hollow handles is a lever l I cooperating with handle 5 to form a pair of toggle levers. Lever I I normally extends at an angle between the handles with its opposite ends positioned respectively within the channels of the two handles and with its forward end transversely pivoted as at [2 to handle 5 and its opposite or outer end transversely pivoted to the inner end of an adjusting screw l3 longitudinally screwed into the outer end of handle 4 which is made tubular for a distance adjacent the end and threaded to receive the screw as indicated, but except for this tubular threaded portion 4' the handle 4 is a. freely open channel on it under side as indicated in the drawings.

The pivotal connection of 'toggle lever II to the screw comprises drilling a hole longitudinally in the inner end of the screw I3 and revolvably fitting therein a. pin H having an enlarged head or block [5 at its end against which the end of the screw bears. This head is of a size and form to fit within the channel of the handle so as to be slidable therealong and in contact with the underside of the channel as at l8 as the screw is turned.

The head ii of the pin II is flattened at opposite sides and is transversely pivoted to the end of the lever as by a pin IS, the end of the lever being shown bifurcated at IT to straddle opposite flat sides of the head l5, or the head may be bifurcated and the end of the lever solid if desired.

The toggle lever II is provided with a foot I! at an intermediate point in its length which is directed into the channel of the lower handle 5 to rest upon a releasing lever 20 which is preferably of sheet metal of generally U-shaped cross section to easily flt within the handle and is kept in place by a transversely extending pin 2i secured to the side walls of handle 5 and working freely in a slot 22 in the side walls 23 of the releasing lever. The lever extends forward of this pin a relatively short distance so that its forward end 24 pivots or iulcrums against the handle 5 when the outer or rearward end 25 of the releasing lever is lifted or pulled toward handle l, the releasing lever being extended rearwardly beyond the handle 5 to make it accessible to a finger of the hand holding the plier-like handles when engaging a nut or other object X between the jaws l and 2 so that the grip may be instantly released at any time upon pulling the releasing lever.

The extreme rearward or outer end of handle 5 is bent somewhat abruptly away from handle 4 as at 5' and the overlying end of lever 20 is similarly bent or formed while providing clearance 26 below the lever so that it may preferably also be rocked downward as well as upward. The fulcrum or pivotal support for such downward rocking of lever 20 may be a slight shoulder or heel in the channel of lever 20 as at 21 where the clearance 26 begins.

By the construction described the screw I3 may be longitudinally moved by turning its head [3' to adjust the jaws of the tool for thickness of the object to be gripped, and when the jaws are closed upon the object by pressing the plieriike handles towards one another the toggle lever ll will straighten out through a line drawn through the centers of pins 6, I2 and Hi to thereby develop an enormous pressure on the grip.

The length ofthe foot I! of the toggle lever is such as to permit the center of pin 12 to just pass the center line 28 so as to lock the grip upon the object when desired to thereby avoid the otherwise necessity of applying maximum hand pressure on the handles all the time. when the job being worked on is finished the locked toggle grip may be easily released by either pressing downward or pulling upward on the outer end of releasing lever 20 which upon being rocked either way will forcibly move handle I slightly outward from foot; II to carry the center of pin it back over the center line 28, so that the toggle will collapse under the eiIect of spring I as well as from the pressure of the work tending to spread the jaws, and the wrench will at once open to the dotted line position.

It is of course obvious that heel 21 on releasing lever 20 may be omitted if it is desired to have the releasing lever operate by pulling its outer end up only.

7 Having thus described my improved construction in the toggle wrench of this kind, what I claim is:

1. In a wrench comprising the combination of a handle provided with a stationary jaw, a movable jaw mounted on said handle, a toggle comprising a channel shaped handle lever pivotally engaged at one end with said movable jaw and a toggle link pivotally engaged at one end in the channel of said handle lever intermediate its ends and at its other end with said handle. the improvement which comprises a toggle release lever pivotally secured within the channel and extending longitudinally therein, the free end of said release lever extending beyond the corresponding end of the handle lever and a por tion of said release lever being engageable with said toggle link in the closed position of said handle lever to release said toggle.

2. In a wrench as set out in claim 1 the pivotal securing of said release lever being loose to permit the two way rocking of said release lever for release of the toggle upon either way of movement of said lever.

3. In a wrench as set out in claim 1 said toggle link provided with a foot in contact with the inner portion of the toggle release lever.

4. In a wrench of the type having a first member formed as an elongated handle provided with a stationary jaw at the forward end thereof, a movable jaw mounted on said member arranged to cooperate with the stationary jaw to grip an article, a toggle for operating thev movable jaw comprising a channel shaped operating lever as a toggle link pivotally engaged at its ends to the first member and said operating lever intermediate the ends thereof, the operating lever ex- .lock the toggle, the improvement which comprises; an elongated toggle release lever having a portion positioned between said first member and said operating lever and extending longitudinally and rearwardly in the space therebetween and having its forward end disposed within the channel of said operating lever and operativeiy connected thereto by pivot means, mounted for movement in a plane passing through the first member and said operating lever, the release lever having a portion projecting rearwardly beyond the rear end of said second member adapted to be engaged by a finger of the hand, the release lever having a camming portion engageable with one of said members when it is actuated.

5. In a wrench comprising the combination of a handle provided with a stationary jaw at the forward end thereof. a movable jaw mounted on said handle, a toggle comprising an elongated channel shaped handle lever pivotally engaged at the forward end thereof to said movable jaw and a, toggle link plvotally engaged at one end in the channel of said handle lever intermediate its ends and at its other end with said handle, for locking the wrench in gripping an article, the improvement which comprises; an elongated toggle release lever having a portion extending longitudinally and rearwardly in the space between the channel shaped handle lever and the toggle link, pivotally connected with one and provided with cam means engaging the other when it is rocked about its pivot, said toggle release lever having another portion projecting rearwardly beyond the rear end of the handle lever disposed in position to be engaged by a finger of the hand holding the wrench.

HAROLD T. JONES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Seashore Sept. 25, 

